Published: 02 Feb 2011
Europe has committed to obtain 20 % of its
energy from renewable sources by 2020. An
analysis of the 27 EU Member State action
plans shows that renewable energy output
is projected to grow by 6 % per year on
average. Wind power, solar electricity and
biofuels are foreseen to contribute with
the highest growth rates. If all Member
States follow the trajectory outlined in
their plans, the EU will exceed its 20 %
renewable energy target by 0.7 percentage
points.
The European Environment
Agency (EEA) has supported the compilation
of a database that holds key data from all
the National Renewable Energy Action Plans
(NREAPs). The database facilitates the comparison
of figures across technologies and between
Member States.
Key aggregate data from
the 27 National Action Plans:
Electricity will make up 42 % of total renewable
energy production, with wind power supplying
41 % of renewable electricity;
46 % of all renewable energy production
will be used for heating and cooling, with
biomass accounting for 78 % of renewable
heating and cooling output;
Transport will use the smallest proportion
of the renewable energy produced (12 %),
but is the fastest growing element between
2005 and 2020.
Total renewable energy
production is projected to increase from
99 million tonnes of oil equivalent (Mtoe)
in 2005 to 245 Mtoe in 2020 corresponding
to an average annual growth rate of 6 %.
The renewable energy
projections are also presented in graphs
and tables in a data report. Detailed data
for all 27 EU Member States are displayed
together with the aggregate EU-27 figures.
Moreover, derived indicators allow a comparison
of country projections on a per capita basis
or relative to land area.
Background information
on the NREAPs
The EU climate and energy
package has three main goals for 2020: reducing
greenhouse gas emissions by 20 %; improving
energy efficiency by 20 %; and generating
20 % of energy consumption from renewable
energy. In order to support the renewable
energy objective, each Member State has
been requested to submit plans (NREAPs)
detailing how they will reach their individual
targets.
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UNEP report maps the
pathways to a green economy
Published: 21 Feb 2011
The EEA welcomes the publication today of
UNEP's report 'Pathways to a green economy'.
It represents a valuable contribution to
the current debate on moving the world to
a sustainable path in the 21st century.
The urgency of this debate is becoming ever
more apparent. Across the world, systemic
crises threaten in areas such as finance,
climate change, energy, biodiversity, ecosystems
and demography. And the scale, speed and
interconnectedness of global economic, social
and environmental changes are creating unprecedented
challenges.
In stressing the economic,
social and environmental dimensions of the
shift to a global green economy, the UNEP
report echoes some of the key findings of
the EEA's flagship report The European Environment:
State and Outlook 2010 (SOER 2010), published
in November 2010.
SOER 2010 highlights
the twin challenges of maintaining the structure
and functions of ecosystems (ecosystem resilience)
and finding ways to cut resource use in
production and consumption activities and
their environmental impacts (resource efficiency).
It also underlines that a successful transition
in Europe requires that rich and poor alike
have equal access to the benefits of a green
economy. Greening Europe's economy is essential
for building a sustainable future globally
and meeting the Millennium Development Goals
and the aims of the Rio+20 agenda.
But what would such
a transition involve in Europe? In several
respects the region looks comparatively
well positioned. It is the world's largest
economic bloc, with considerable innovation
skills. It maintains a social-welfare model
that emphasises equitable distribution of
benefits across society. It has arguably
the strongest package of environmental policies
globally and a record of successful integration
with economic sectors using market instruments
and other tools. Moreover, the EU has a
long tradition of managing socioeconomic
transitions from its inception in the 1950s
through to recent enlargements of the EU
to the East.
At the same time, Europe's
reliance on natural resources from the rest
of the world makes it vulnerable to external
shocks. Demographic projections over coming
decades indicate that more of the population
will rely on a shrinking workforce for their
incomes. Indeed, as EEA analysis demonstrates,
a variety of global megatrends are currently
unfolding, presenting many challenges for
Europe as well as potential opportunities.
The EEA is going to
be working hard on building up the knowledge
base on the green economy for Europe in
the next couple of years. The results of
those activities will be made available
on the EEA website on a regular basis in
the form of technical studies and more accessible
analysis and comment.
